Plenty options <= $1.5m , so $8.2k - $9k monthly PITI. In the worse case, you consider that lost $ and now your disposable is still $162k. But actually, rent is closer to the net housing cost, because owning will reduce your taxes, increasing income ~$1k/mth, another + ~$2k/mth into equity, and another + $2k/mth inflation (loan is chipped away), so you're still looking at $4k/mth actual cost (if not less).